Electrical connector



Jan. 18, 1944. 'F K 4 1 2,339,329 I ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR. Fiied June 16, 1941 INVENTOR RUSSELL A. FUN K ATTORNEYS struction of the several Patented Jan. 18, 1944' UNITED STATES PATEN r OFFICE ELECTRICAL ooNNnc'roa Russell A. Funk, Ferndale, Mich. Application June 16, 1941, Serial No. 398,330 g Thisinvention relates generally to connectors for electrical conductors V ticularly to electrical conductors of the type employed in motor vehicle wiring systems.

It is one ofthe principal objects of this invention to improve generally electrical connectors of the above type by simplifying the conparts involved and by reducing the number of these parts to a mini mum. As a result, the connector may be inexpensively manufactured and assembled. This is especially advantageous in vehicle wiring systems wherein a number of connectors are employed.

Another object of this invention is to provide an electrical connector comprising a terminal element welded or otherwise suitably secured to one end of an electrical conductor and a socket element adapted to readily 'detachably receive the terminal element.

In the manufacture of electrical conductors it is not only important to consider the cost or tabricating the parts and the ease with which these parts may be assembled, but it is also important to provide a construction wherein the loss through the connection is reduced to a minimum.

With this in view, the present invention conand refers more par- The tubular body 3 Claims. (01. 173-328) present instance, are respectively electrically connected to'a pair of electrical conductors I2 and II.

The terminal cap H has a reduced tubular portion H at the outerendintegrally connected to the tubular body'portion oi the cap by means of an outwardly tapering annular shoulder l5. portion of the cap is provided with circumferentially spaced longitudinally extending slots lSwhich extend to theouterjend ofthe *body portion and are or sumcient width to permit limited contraction oi the body portion oi'th cap. j f

As stated above, ane'lectrical conductor I3 is secured to the terminalcap 'i In As shown in Figure 1, the electrical conductor I8 is in 'the form oi an insulated stranded wirecable, and the insulationis removed from one end of the cable to provide the latterwith a bare end portion l1.

---The end portion l'l of the. electrical conductor body portion of the cap and templates an electrical connector wherein a highly eiilcient electrical connection is obtained between the parts regardless of the simplicity 0t ;and described in my copending application, Be-

the construction and the ease with which the I parts are capable of being assembled.

The foregoing as well as other objectswill be made more apparentas this description proceeds, especially when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view through a connector constructed in accordance withthisinvention;

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view taken subplane indicated by the line stantially on the 2-2 f Figure 1:

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view through a slightly modified form of construction.

Upon reference to Figure 1 of the drawing, it will be noted that my improved electrical connector comprises a tubular metal body in the form of a socket I 0 and a terminal cap I I also of tubular construction. Both of the aforesaid parts'are fashioned from a material having good electrical conductivity characteristics and, in the ductor I2.

is inserted into the tubular terminal cap through the opening provided at the inner end of the g the bare end or the cable is received in the reduced portion ll of the terminal cap. The reduced portion I of the. terminal cap is welded or otherwise electrically secured to the bare end I! of the electrical conductor to form a permanent part oi' the latter. In the event that the terminal cap is welded to the bare'end ll of the electrical conductor, I- prefer to employ the method shown rial No. 339,822, filed June 10, 1940, Patent 2,288,348 on June 30, 1942.

The socket ill comprises a tubular metal body having an opening is at one end and having a reduced tubular portion l9 at the opposite end adapted to be electrically connected'to the con-'- As shown in Figure '1, the tubular body portion of the socket is fashioned with an annular inwardly extending shoulder 20 adjacent the opening l8 and has portions adjacent the opposite end struck inwardly to form circumferentially spaced spring fingers 2|. i

The terminal cap II is insertable into the socket through the opening I! and is held in place by means of the annular shoulder 20 and the spring fingers 2i. It is pointed out at thistime that the tubular body of the socket is tapered inwardly from the opening l8 and the tubular body portion of the cap is tapered in a corresponding direction but to a greater extent.- In addition, the outside diameter of thebody portion on the cap is slightly greater than the internal diameter of the tubular body portion of the socket so that the body portion oi the cap issued as tween the 1 thespring fingers and is maintained in assembled relationship with the socket under a slight tension. This construction insures an effective electrical connection beterminal cap and socket throughout the full length of the tubular body portion of the terminal cap.

It is also pointed out that the internal diameter of the shoulder is somewhat less than the maximum external diameter of the terminal cap so that the body portion of the cap is contracted by the shoulder 20 when inserted into the socket. The extent of contraction of the terminal cap is well within the elastic limits of the metal from which the cap is formed so that as soon as the inner end of the terminal cap is moved beyond the shoulder 20 it expands into frictional contact with the adjacent inner surfaces of the socket. As the terminal cap ap-- proaches its final position in the socket, the tapered shoulder IS on the terminal cap engages the correspondingly tapered end portions 22 on tensions the latter. The arrangement is such that when the terminal cap II is in its assembled position in the socket l0, the spring fingers 22 cooperate with the tapered shoulder I! in holding the inner edge of the terminal cap against the shoulder 20 on the socket. =As shown in Figure 1, the surfaceof the annular shoulder 20 engageable with the inner edge of the terminal cap is inclined in a direction to contact the terminal upon movement of the latter relative to the socket in a direction to remove the terminal from the socket.

It is further important to note thatby tapering the tubular body portion of the terminal can in an outward direction fromthe shoulder IS, the shoulder 20 on the socket will exert the maximum contracting force on the inner end of the terminal cap and .the minimum force adjacent the outer end of the cap. This is advantageous because the inner end of the terminal cap has a greater degree of flexibility and there is less danger of deforming the cap beyond its elastic limits during-assembly.

The electrical connector shown in Figure 4 differs from the one previously described in that the socket 23 is oi. the dual type and is constructed to permit securing terminal cap elements 24 in opposite ends thereof. The .construction and principle of operation of the electrical connector is otherwise the same as the one previously described in connection with Figures 1 to 3, inclusive.

What I claimas my invention is:

1. A connector for an electrical conductor, comprising a terminal cap of tubular construction open at one end for receiving one end of the electrical conductor and having the opposite end reduced and secured to the electrical conductor,

an annular inwardly tapering shoulder inte-;

grally connecting the reduced end portion of the cap to the remainder of the latter, a tubular metal body having an open end for receiving the terminal cap and having an annular shoulder projecting inwardly from the tubular body adiecent the open end of the latter and engagesble with the open end of the cap, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced spring fingers on said tubular metal body engageable with the tapered shoulder on the terminal cap and cooperating with the tapered shoulder to maintain the open end of the terminal cap in engagement with the annular shoulder on the tubular body.

2. A connector for an electrical conductor, comprising a tubular socket having an open end and having a shoulder projecting inwardly therefrom adjacent the open end, a terminal cap having a tubular body portion of slightly greater diameter than the internal diameter of the socket and having a reduced end portion secured to'the electrical conductor, said body portion having circumferentially spaced longitudinally extending slots and having an annular inwardly tapering shoulder integrally connecting the re-. duced portion thereto, said terminal cap being insertable into the socket through the open end or the latter and the body portion of said cap being contractible by the shoulder on the socket upon inserting the terminal cap into the socket,

said body portion adapted to expand into engagement with the socket as the terminal cap is moved beyond the shoulder, and spring fingers on the socket engageable with the tapered shoulder on the terminal cap and cooperating with the latter shoulder to urge the terminal cap into engagement with the shoulder on said socket.

3. A connector for an electrical conductor, comprising a terminal cap having a reduced tubular portion secured to the electrical conductor and having a tubular body portion tapering inwardly toward the tubular portion and connected to the tubular portion by means of an annular inwardly tapering shoulder, a tubular socket having an open end andhaving a body portion tapering inwardly from the open end, an annular shoulder projecting inwardly from the body portion of the socket adjacent the open end, said terminal cap being insertable into the socket through the open end and the body portion of beyond the the terminal .cap having a diameter slightly greater than the internal diameter of the body portion of the socket, said body portion of the terminal cap having circumferentially spaced longitudinal extending slots and being contractible by the annular shoulder on the socket upon inserting the terminal cap into the socket, said body portion of the terminal cap adapted to expand into contact with the tapered body portion of the socket upon movement of the terminal cap annular shoulder on the socket, and spring fingers struck inwardly from the socket and engageable with the tapered shoulder on .the terminal cap for yieldably urging the termi' nal cap into engagement with the annular shoulder on the socket.

RUSSELL A. FUNK. 

